Aston Villa full-back Stephen Warnock has admitted that he is impressed by the contribution that the club's youngsters have made this season.

The likes of Gary Gardner, Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan and Andreas Weimann have all featured for the Villains at regular intervals.

Warnock has revealed that the their presence has kept the atmosphere at Villa Park positive.

"The young lads have managed to keep themselves sharp and they keep the place bubbling around the training ground," Warnock told the Express and Star. "They're lively lads, they like to keep all the older players going and give out a lot of banter. It's great for the atmosphere, but they also know how to put the performances in on the pitch.

"You look at Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Gary Gardner and obviously Andreas Weimann and realise these are good players.

"They need time though, you can't just throw them in straight away and expect big things of them. They are young players and they need a bit of time, but they're really good."

Villa are currently 15th in the Premier League table.